CAPA National Youth Leadership Showcase Competition

Written by JRC Reporters Justin Jiang and Kenneth Shue

On November 30th, the Chinese American Parents Association (CAPA) hosted the second stage of its National Youth Leadership Showcase Competition. The goal of this competition was to provide a broader stage for youth to exhibit their leadership and innovation abilities, empowering them to become the leaders of tomorrow. This event was a collaboration with over 5 CAPA branches, bringing people all the way from New Jersey just to compete. 

Over 50 teams attended this event hosting 4 competing categories: Civic Engagement, Community Service, Entrepreneurial Business Plan, and Open Microphone. 

The presentations were judged by esteemed individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from those with experience in the government to high-ranking representatives from the different CAPA branches. President Yu Chen of CAPA-HC and President Vivian Xu from CAPA-MC both expressed their delight that the best ideas from each branch could be exchanged between them, hoping that this event would help grow everybody involved.

Civic Engagement Judge Tej Reddy -  current Vice President at the TRC and mass consultant based in Washington DC - commented on the presentations he judged in the morning, noting “a lot of  really innovative ideas around environmental protection” and expressing interest in implementing plastic film recycling programs and community garden programs at his home in Virginia.

While waiting for judge decisions, CAPA had invited many college students to host discussions, giving insightful college and career tips to attendees. The college students came from unique backgrounds and perspectives including one pair of brothers that were both in the Navy.

After many close rankings, many of our own CAPA-MC clubs have earned high placements at the event:

Bronze Medal (Open Mic): 

• Kong Fu – Lin Zheng

Gold Medal (Civic Engagement): 

• Be a Zero Hero – Kenneth Shue, Justin Jiang, Kylie Zhang

Gold Medal (Community Service Group A):

• Zaidao – Doris Wang, Emily Jia

• Hearts of Comfort – Kylie Zhang, Angie Shen, Sophie Shen, Alice Zhao

Bronze Medal (Community Service Group A): 

• Tennis Ball Recycling Program – Alvin Tong,  Alyssa Yu, Nolan Chen

Gold Medal (Community Service Group B):

• CAPA-MC SEEDs – Sophie Huang, Daphne Wen

Bronze (Business Entrepreneurship):

iThrive – Angie Shen, Alvin Tong

Photo of all award winners of the morning session along with judges

This event brought together so much of our community from different states, all to showcase our talent and contributions to the community at such a young age. One judge, Beth Kosiak, was “immensely impressed with every single student who presented; their composure, speaking skills, ability to clearly identify problems and thoughtful attempts to solve them, were simply exceptional.”

Another judge, Zack Shariff, thought that “listening to the teams’ presentations, their passion and dedication was truly inspiring and gave [him] great hope for the future of [the] nation.”

When asked if she plans to host the competition again next year, Vivian Xu, President of CAPA-MC says that “that’s the plan.” She continues to say how this year's event was for “proof of concept” and wanted “to see how [attendees] enjoy the results ... .and also how [they] can do better next time.”

This article was provided by Chinese American Parents Association Junior Reporter Club (CAPA JRC) with members who interviewed, audio recorded, wrote, translated, and video recorded. CAPA JRC has 25 Montgomery County middle to high school students. They have created a bilingual platform delivering news and serving the community.

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